Does cigar smell mean anything?

[woogie]

I am a total newbie to cigar smoking. My brother sent me good 30 5 packs of different brands. Some smell real musky, some smell cedary and some don't have much smell.

Just wondering if pre-light smell has any indication to the taste of the cigar. It is pretty interesting that each cigar has unique smell yet I can group them into probably 3-4 types.

I smoked couple of them but I am too new to learn much from the first couple of smokes I had.

 

[Moro]

In a way it gives a preview to the profile.

 

[Soundwave13]

Does it give a good indication? ~ Sometimes yes, sometimes no...

Enjoy the journey finding out! I always recommend keeping a little notepad to take a few notes - what do you like about the particular stick, what you don't like, etc... It will help you to develop a better sense of what to look for & ask for when trying new sticks.

For the most part I know what I like in a cigar, but I keep a notepad full of notes on pipe blends - I'm slowely sampling through about 50 blends that I've picked up & traded for. Some are awful & some are awful good... but keeping track of the characteristics and components of the blends is really giving me a short-cut to a good 'education' - otherwise it might take someone years to aquire the vocabulary & ability to identify what exactly I'm looking for.

 

[shuckins]

i pick up a cigar,i smell it! i can't help myself...
the smell is the cigar talking to your brain,saying is this the one?
your nose knows...

 

[Baldanders]

I've seen people at the B&M pick up cigars to smell while looking for something to buy and go as far as touching it to their nose then put it BACK! in the box. Now that is GROSS!

 

[itsme_timd]

Just a note, if you pick up a cigar and it smells like a barn full of manure... that's not a bad thing. Smoke it! Seriously. :thumbsup: :cbig:

 

[kaelaria]

I find no direct correlation between aroma and flavors. Sometimes they match sometimes they don't, they are separate things. A good aroma and good flavor is the best combo

 

[Danilo]

I know someone that will smell a cigar for like an hour before they light it...
I admit it... I LOVE the way some cigars smell (Opus, Anejo, Illusiones... CCs smell minty to me)
so I do smell them a good bit, and sometimes it gives a good preview of what you are up against... sometimes not.

 

[Zen Cigar Man]

I smell them to, but like other have said, it gives no real indication on how the cigar will smoke or taste.

 

[smokinghole]

If some smell really musty they probably came from CI. That's the common smell I used to get from them before I stopped ordering smaller than a box from their site/catalog. That overly musty smell will subside once they are properly cared for because I believe unless they're boxed in their warehouse who knows what happens to them.

How about this question. What does the smell of the smoker indicate after the cigar has been smoked? hehehe

 

[woogie]

Thanks for your insights and experiences.

I have searched around the web to find our more. There are some who feel very strongly about not paying too much attention to the smell of the cigar before smoked. The argument is "I buy cigars to smoke them, not to smell them."

Hmm... maybe this is a newbie thing but cigar smells are very interesting and fun to examine. Some are cedary, some are interestingly musky, some are earthy barnyardy, some hard reminiscent of grandpa's cottage.

I will take notes down to see what smell seems to correlate with what. I figure from your insights that they are not all too related to the taste of the cigar. I tend to think that there must be some correlation but I will have to try for myself.

 

[Kurtdesign1]

This is an oft misunderstood method of developing a prelight opinion about a cigar.

As said above, the cold aroma (either from the unlit foot or wrapper leaf) has little to do with the flavors that are to be expected. What it DOES tell you is what condition the cigar is in.

First, if there is an aroma, or more specifically a somewhat easily noticeable one it often means that the cigar is not expired.

If there is an aroma but it is foreign to the cigar (flavored or perhaps poor storage mustyness) it can lower the enjoyment of the cigar by taking away from the natural flavors of the tobacco.

The other main thing to detect by smelling the unlit cigar is the level of ammonia or other spicy, youthful compounds. An ammoniac cigar will often not be enjoyable unless you search that experience out.

If you're smelling for more than these 3 reasons, you're just a sniffer